The head of the global body of archaeologists says the theft of sacred and historical artefacts is a huge problem in Asia.

Claire Smith, an Adelaide-based academic, says this weekend's return of the second part an ancient Ethiopian obelisk, looted by the Italians in the 1930s, highlights the importance of restoring lost history.

Dr Smith, head of the World Archaeological Congress, says Asia suffers particularly from looting.

"It is a big problem in Asia and you can see objects in Asia, say, Buddhas that have had their heads chopped off, and the heads are stolen, and I think things like returning this obelisk is part of educating people that these things should be with the cultures that originally made them, understood in context, like the Buddha without the head, how can you understand that?" she said.